InuOtome's Heart
by PrincessNimue
Summary: The story of InuOtome, literally translated to Little Dog Girl, daughter of Kagome and InuYasha. Rated M for suggested content and language.


_Author's Note_: Fan-fic alert! I DO NOT OWN Inuyasha characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and my many thanks to the wonderful lady for creating them for me to borrow! XD I absolutely LOVE anything Inuyasha related, but decided to add an all-important twist to my own fan-fic: Inuyasha and Kagome's DAUTHER! I have only seen up to episode 112, so PLEASE don't email me any spoilers! Any finishing work is pure guess work and I don't wanna know!  
This was first written with swearing and adult content included... I did my best to edit but some stuff is still suggested.  
Other than that, I would appreciate any and all comments/feedback/ramblings emailed to Enjoy! _PrincessNimue_

InuOtome stepped out of the well, immediately throwing off her headband. She hated the way it made her ears itch. She made them twitch and shiver in the fresh Feudal-Era air.  
She was glad to be back. It had been a long week and her teachers were piling on to her work-load. "Stupid school…" she muttered. "Why do I have to go anyway?"  
"Because your mother wishes it." The voice came out of nowhere. Inu jumped.  
"Good gravy! Miroku, you scared me." InuOtome put her hand over her breast, signaling further how he had done so. She took in the sight of her handsome almost-uncle. He was there for her upbringing and she loved him dearly. His hair was graying at the temples and a few scant lines were appearing on his face.  
"I apologize," he responded, bowing slightly. "Inuyasha and Kagome wished me to see you home safely." InuOtome scowled. She wasn't a child and told Miroku such. "I am only the messenger."  
"I know, I know… You would think that being seventeen would gain their trust. Do I have to point out that I am a full two years older than my mother was when she came to the Feudal-Era? And that I have been trained fully by my father?"  
"InuOtome, it is not a matter of trust. They love you exceedingly and do not wish harm to come to ou." They had neared the village when Miroku suddenly stopped her.  
"I heard that you were fighting in school again."  
InuOtome groaned, "Not you too... It wasn't my fault. The guy kept trying to pull my headband off. What was I supposed to do? Let the entire school know that I, one of them, am actually a quarter-demon with dog ears and a sense of smell that rivals a great dane's?" Miroku laughed. "It's bad enough that I get made fun of for my coloring." Her hair was semi-striped with white growing from her temples and jet black everywhere else.  
"Was it necessary to use an incantation though?" Miroku continued chuckling as she was left gawking at his insolence.  
When Inu approached her house, she heard a loud, "Sit Boy!" and knew that her father had pissed Kagome off yet again. She laughed to herself about the time when they found out that she, too, had a priestess's powers and had, accidentally of course, set her father into a crater.  
She rushed past them, planting a quick kiss on Inuyasha's cheek, hoping above all hope that they wouldn't stop her for some additional training.  
Her effort was in vain.  
"Inu, help me with this poultice." She groaned but knew she had no choice.  
Her younger siblings, Koharu and Kazuma, the twins, would be staying with her grandmother in their future world and no one was there to help Kagome tend to the men and women of the village. Since Old Kaede passed into the next life, Kagome and Inu had been spending the majority of their time helping them get on with their pitiful lives.  
"And I had actually _asked_ to give up flush-toilets and running water?" So began the endless ritual that was her weekend. She barely had time to work on her homework much less have some time to goof off.  
While she prepared the herbs for the poultices, she thought about the offers she had received to go to the mall or the pool or to the movies with her friends.  
And the date requests offered by Hojo. She smiled weakly as she remembered her mother relate the tales of Hojo Senior offering her many gifts and asking for dates that she was never able to keep. Hojo Junior was the same way. She hated turning him down time and again, but there was no way she could go. She had obligations to her parents and had to keep her dark secret. What would he, or any of her friends for that matter, do if they found out she was part demon?  
She sighed.  
Kagome heard her and understood her plight. That was why she kept her oldest child so busy. _Better to keep her mind off of it_, Kagome thought. But now wasn't the time.  
"So Prom is coming up in a few weeks, right?"  
"Yeah. So?"  
"Have you looked for a dress yet?"  
"Who cares? It's not like I'm going to get to go."  
"Why not?" Kagome stopped and wiped her hands on her apron. "It's Prom. You have to go."  
"And style my hair to cover my ears? No, I don't think I will."  
"InuOtome, I know this is hard on you."  
"No you don't! You don't know what it's like not to have a normal life! To hang out with your friends and not get to tell them what you've been keeping from them since you were born!" Inu couldn't take it and stormed off, to hell with the poultices.  
As was customary, she grabbed her sword and bow before she left the house. She ran all the way to the Ancient tree where her mother and father had first met. And sat there. Crying.  
When the tears slowed, she raised her sword and started hacking at the undergrowth. Inuyasha would have a cow if he knew she was using his gift for yard-work. She was just so angry and lost and hurt and confused…  
She was actually quite proud of the sword her father had given her. It was forged from his own fang, as his father had done for him and his brother, Sesshomaru. While it held no special powers like the Tetssaiga or the Tenssaiga – or at least that she knew of (who knew what that old geezer, Totsai, was thinking when he forged it) – it was beautiful. It was crafted to be light and quick and looked… feminine. Totosai knew she was her father's daughter, stubborn to boot and just as quick tempered, but also knew that Kagome's heart was hers as well. So it fit her.  
"InuOtome?" She knew the voice. It was Shippo, another almost-uncle. She hastily wiped the tear streaks from her face and the grass stains from her sword.  
"Oh Shippo, what are you doing out this far?"  
"Just walking." He answered timidly. She smiled at him.  
"Me too." They were always awkward around each other, ever since they were little. There was a bit of an age difference between them – Shippo was ten when InuOtome was born – which had confused them both. Were they to be friends and play together or were they supposed to hold the Uncle/Niece relationship as Inu had with Miroku?  
Shippo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Care to walk with me?"  
"Yeah…" So they were off. They walked and chatted about anything and everything, their conversation coming easier as they got farther and farther from the village. They came across a fork of the river and realized just how far they had gotten.  
And just how much fun they were having.  
Without warning, Shippo dumped Inu into the river, clothes and all. She came out sputtering and shaking like a dog.  
"Why you-!" And she attacked. Soon they were both drenched, and laughing so hard they could hardly stand up.  
Then something struck. Like a bolt of lightning, flowing into her blood. "Shippo?" She asked shakily, unsure of how she got in his arms, unsure of what to say or to do.  
"Yes," he said, breathing heavily, but not from exertion.  
His lips found hers… and held. God, she tasted so sweet… He had wanted to do this since he first realized his attraction to her, since she had seemed to blossom overnight. He woke up near her in the cottage and saw a woman where a girl had once slept.  
And this woman didn't pull away from him. He pulled her closer, burying his face in her neck. "Inu, Inu…"  
She sighed. "Shippo, I-"  
"Get down!" Shippo yelled, pushing her down into the water, just as a blast came from nowhere. Inu came up gulping, reaching for her bow.  
"Fox Fire!" Shippo yelled, sending a flaming blast back at their attacker. It was too late. Their attacker had already fled, blending into the darkness of the woods. "Come on," he growled, pulling Inu onto the bank.  
"What happened? Shippo? Wait, my sword!" She yanked her hand out of his grip and ran to get her prized possession. "Who was that?" She demanded.  
Shippo muttered something that Inu couldn't distinguish.  
"What?"  
"That damn Thunder-Clan girl! She's been following me for weeks now!" They followed the bends in the river until the reached the village. Shippo made a hasty departure, leaving Inu to face her parents alone.  
"Inu, what on Earth? Why are you soaking wet?"  
"I – slipped on the bank and fell into the river. I'm fine." She murmured and went to her room to dry off. Her school uniform was filthy with pond scum and now she'd have to spend all day tomorrow scrubbing it to get it clean. "Stupid male hormones…" She mumbled and pulled the garments off. But she was also to blame and she knew it. She had secretly harbored a deep crush on Shippo since she was little, a crush that had never fully gone away.  
She pulled on her priestess robes and went to the shrine to pray.  
She missed Kaede. The old woman – however senile – was full of wisdom. She had seen what was going on with everyone and, putting two and two together, got right to the heart of the problem and people were happy for it. But Kaede was gone, never to return to the world of the living. Inu prayed her spirit was still among them for she desperately needed guidance.  
Inu had always found peace in the shrine and this time was no different. She came out ready face the world. But not Shippo.  
He stood just outside the archway, his wet shirt and vest were removed, leaving him only in his wet trousers that defined his legs. She gulped and wanted to run the other way. After what had just transpired between them, she did not want to see him half-naked.  
"I wanted to apologize."  
"It's fine," she replied hurriedly, trying to brush past him.  
"Inu," the pleading in his voice made her stop. Knowing better but unable to resist, she turned towards him. She was unable to meet his eyes, and instead stared at the broad expanse of his very naked chest. Big mistake. She could hardly distinguish what he was saying. Something about, "…don't know what happened. It's just that we were laughing and having a good time… never meant for it to start that way and that I…" He stopped suddenly, making her head jerk up to meet his eyes. "How do they do it in your world? Will you… go out with… me?" His voice squeaked and Inu had to laugh. She threw her arms around him.  
"Yes," She murmured into his neck. She could feel his tension leave his shoulders and his arm came around to hold her.  
Inuyasha saw the whole thing. And he started off to stop it. Kagome held him back. "Stop it, Inuyasha. She's a grown woman."  
"And he's too old for her."  
"Stop it! SIT BOY!" Kagome sat on Inuyasha's back and calmly explained their daughter to him. "InuOtome needs this. Whether or not Shippo is right for her, she has to find that out on her own. And age is not a factor. One: I'm _at least_ fifty years younger than you, plus the fact that I am mortal and you are a half-demon meaning we age differently. Inu and Shippo do too. She hates us enough for being born a quarter-demon. I'm not going to refuse her this chance of being halfway normal. Got that?" Inuyasha mumbled a response.  
"Good. Now go get me some more firewood. I'm going to prepare Inu a nice hot bath."  
So the weeks of Inu and Shippo's courtship passed, a blur to her, a dream to him. He worshipped her and she could hardly believe that it was real. They spent most of the time she was in the Feudal-Era together, taking walks, flying to the top of Mount Hakurai on Kilala, talking until the early morning light. They shared kisses and touches, embracing each other, not wanting time to pass.  
"Shippo," Inu started one night, as they lay in the grass, watching the stars, "Why do you suppose it took my parents so long to get together? They love each other as much as we do now, but they didn't marry until after the Shikon Jewel was complete. That was like three or four years."  
"Four years." He rolled over onto his side to face her. "It took them four years. But you know your parents as well as I. Your father could teach stubborn to a mule, a trait I see in you." She started to object but he placed his finger on her mouth. As he spoke he massaged her lips gently, smiling softly when she offered praise on his fingertips. "Your mother is very patient. Too patient for her own good if ask me. She knew she loved Inuyasha long before she told him so. But she chose to stay by his side, even when Kikyo tried to come between them. That bitch almost succeeded too."  
"Kikyo? How come no one ever talks about her?" Shippo kissed her gently, then more thoroughly. He had to force himself to stop or else he would go too far. Besides, he had a story to complete.  
"She hurt us all, Inu. No one wants to talk about her. But you've got to know. About seventy years ago, she and your father had a conflict of interests of sorts. She was the priestess who guarded the Shikon Jewel and he was the demon set on stealing it. They were tricked by…"  
"Naraku," Inu supplied. He smiled and rewarded her with another kiss. She giggled and snuggled into his side.  
"Right. Then she died. And fifty years later your mother appeared on the scene. She brought the Shikon Jewel back to the Feudal-Era and released your father from where Kikyo imprisoned him."  
"On the ancient tree."  
"Right again." His kisses were tender but growing in passion. "Mmm, my sweet, we better stop that."  
"Why?" She purred. He nipped her neck and she giggled. "So, the Shikon Jewel shattered and Mom and Dad had to go get the shards and had to keep them out of evil hands. But Kikyo died before you came along."  
"An evil witch reincarnated her, trying to steal Kagome's soul in the process. To make a very long story short, Kikyo had to steal the souls of dead maidens to remain in the world of the living. And she made sure that while she was living, she made Inuyasha suffer. No one really knew what made Kikyo tick; she had an agenda of her own. But the hatred she had for your father never died. She manipulated him and he almost died for her. But your mother saved him with her love for him.  
"It wasn't until then that Inuyasha realized that he loved your mother. Then the stubborn bastard tried to deny it until the Shikon Jewel was completed. He wanted to become a full fledged demon and nothing, not even loving Kagome, a mere moral, was going to stop him."  
"He is a stubborn bastard." Inu agreed. "But Mom stopped him from using the Jewel right?"  
"Right. But not in the way you would expect. She almost died, InuOtome. Inuyasha had the choice of fulfilling his dream, or saving her life. Somehow, he made the right choice."  
"So that's how the jewel disappeared. None of the petty demons believe that it is gone. We still have some attacking us, looking for it. But it's really gone isn't it?"  
"It really is." He held her close, terrified of the thought of his love being attacked by demons.  
Kagome: sakimetama - love. Inuyasha: Aramitama - courage. Miroku: kushimetama - wisdom. Sango: megimetama – friendship. The four elements that had created the jewel had been the ones to find and destroy it. He had tried to spare Inu some of the gruesome details, but she deserved to know.  
"Let's not be that stubborn, ok?" Shippo grinned.  
"You're the one that was stubborn…" It was a line he knew would bring out her pride. She snorted and jerked up.  
"Me? You're the one who took forever to do something about how you felt." Shippo denied it to the best of his ability but their arguments brought out the animalism within him. Hers, too.  
They were soon wrestling around, nipping and biting and scratching, have the best time of their lives.  
Through their wrestling, Inu's kimono came dislodged. "Stop, stop," she breathed, trying to fix her garment.  
Shippo reached over to help but instead pulled the string holding the sides together. "I have to see you," he murmured. She clutched the edges together. "Please, please, please," he repeated his hushed litany to her.  
"Shippo, I-"  
He gradually backed away.  
Inu was confused. She could hardly interpret what she herself was feeling, how could she know what he was thinking? Did he like what he had seen?  
"Shippo?" She touched his shoulder. He jerked away from her touch. "Shippo?" she repeated.  
"Don't. Just. Don't." Inu scrambled to her feet. Hastily pulling the sides of her kimono together and retying the belt.  
She ran off to the village, hurt and confused… crying. Crying like she would never stop.  
It was days before she was able to crawl out from her bed. Shippo had taken off and had not come back to his place on the floor in the cottage. Kagome went to see her mother, making Inu's excuses for school.  
She hadn't eaten in days and it was the smell of Inuyasha's cooking that brought her around. If he thought she was _that_ kind of sick… EW! She didn't even want to think about it.  
And she didn't. She jumped out of bed, dressed in her uniform, grabbed her bag and ran off to the well, only offering a hasty goodbye to her parents.  
At school, it was worse. Every little thing made her think about Shippo. Her friends all pestered her to tell them what was wrong, but she shrugged them off and spent her free time sulking by herself. It wasn't long before Hojo noticed her mood and promptly presented her with: chocolate?  
"They say it's proven to help depression." Good ol' Hojo. "But you can only have it on one condition."  
"What's that?" Inu asked, already drooling at the prospect of chocolate. That was one thing she always missed in the Feudal-Era.  
"Come to the movies with me Saturday night."  
"Um…" Her heart sank.  
"Ok, Friday if you don't have Saturday free. And I'm not going to let you wiggle out. I'll escort you after school if I have too." His adamant attitude was charming.  
"Alright," she agreed, "Friday. After school. It's a date."  
Hojo let out an embarrassing, "Woohooo!" and ran off to join his friends – to gloat probably.  
Inu sulked for the entirety of the day. What was she going to do? She picked up Koharu and Kazuma from the elementary and the met their grandmother at the local ice-cream shop for their weekly Wednesday night treat. The twins immediately left to play, leaving Inu and Grandma alone.  
"Why do you do all this, Grandma? I mean, Mom and Dad really take advantage of you, ya know?"  
"InuOtome," She started, then stopped, the words not coming easily. "First of all, we are all family." She placed her hand on Inu's headband, indicating her strange parentage. "When I first found out that Kagome had inherited a strong legacy from her father's line of priests and priestesses, I couldn't have been happier. I loved her father and his family dearly and was pleased that it was _my_ daughter who was to carry on the line. Given, Inuyasha wasn't the one I would have chosen for Kagome to be with, but I saw how much she loved him. And for that, I am happy. We all do what we can for those we love, Inu.  
"Now what brought about this change of heart?"  
Inu blushed. She recalled that night for the first time and told her grandmother about her parents' pasts.  
Grandma listened as if she were hearing it for the first time. In fact, she was. Through Kagome's travels, she had listened for bits and pieces but was never told the whole story. Inu had barely repeated everything Shippo had told her before her siblings returned, ice-cream dripping off their fronts. Grandma laughed happyily, clapping her hands, gently chastising their misconduct.  
Their conversation was dropped until later that night after the twins retired.  
"What a day!" Inu exclaimed, plopping into her favorite easy chair.  
"So, I heard you have a date Friday night." Inu shot straight up.  
"Where did you hear that?" Grandma laughed.  
"I was in the Hojo family shop getting some more medical supplies for your mother. She does go through a lot. But anyway, Hojo Jr. came in, so proud of his own cunning." Inu looked exasperated. "He is a very nice boy."  
"I guess." She shrugged.  
"Do you think he will ask you to Prom?"  
"It doesn't matter. I'm not going." Grandma was in shock.  
"Why not?" Inu sighed.  
"I'm not like them, Grandma. What if something happened and they found out about my ears?" She slipped off her ever present headband. "How do I explain these?" "These" in question twitched.  
Grandma laughed. "That was a risk we all took when we sent you and your brother and sister to school here. In the last twelve years we have had only very minor problems with it. Like you being sent home for making a boy fly across the room without touching him. Your teachers really were baffled by that, weren't they?" They both laughed.  
"Oh, Grandma!" Inu exclaimed and threw her arms around her dear grandmother. Many times when Inu had expected to be admonished for her actions, she received a sly gibe and it was forgotten. Only when things mattered did her Grandmother put her foot down.  
Such as the issue of her attendance at Prom.  
"For one night, please. Go and be a normal high school teen. After you graduate, you will be whisked away back the Feudal-Era. You will never be 'normal' again. I saw what it did to my Kagome. She's happy now with a family of her own. But I know that she has regretted some of the things she has given up. Don't do that to yourself."  
After a moment, Inu said, "But I don't have a dress."  
Grandma squealed with delight and clapped, rushing to hug her. "We'll go shopping tomorrow." She assured her. "And we'll have to do something with those ears…"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome taunted. "Come here, boy!" Instead of taking offence, he dropped the thatches he was using to repair the roof and went scurrying into Kagome's arms. He greeted her with a tender kiss befitting his love for her. He had no problem showing it now. He loved his wife and would die if it meant keeping her safe. That choice was almost taken out of his claws once. He vowed then never to leave her side.  
"That pesky wolf finally leave?"  
Kagome laughed. Where there once was uncontained animosity, there was now a quiet admiration. Kouga and Inuyasha were now the best of friends and sparring partners – verbally as well as physically.  
"Yes, Ayame brought us some meat." …That Kouga had fallen head over heels in love with a matured Ayame and left Kagome alone had something to do with the blossoming friendship.  
"Ah, so that was the stench in here. I thought it was the wolf." Kagome laughed at his teasing, then gasped when her husband picked her up.  
"Inuyasha! It's the middle of the day!"  
"And you are totally scrumptious. What are you going to do? Tell me to 'Sit'?"  
"Maybe." He placed her on their pallet with a growl.  
"'Maybe' my ass."  
Even as he said it, his head jerked up, ears pricking and nose sniffing."Shit!" He jumped up, grabbing his clothes and sword at the same time. "Stay here!"  
"Like hell I will!" She answered to an empty room.  
She ran out of the hut just in time to see a huge scorpion attack Inuyasha with its tail. It didn't sting him, thank God, but knocked him across the village square. Villagers were screaming and running.  
Without stopping to think, Kagome notched an arrow and took aim. "_Hit_," she silently pleaded.  
Her sacred arrow bounced off the demon's thick armor of his head, only succeeding in drawing its attention. It came after her, more quickly than she could ever imagine.  
Inuyasha scooped her away from the danger in just the nick of time. "Idiot! I told you to stay inside!"  
"I wasn't going to let you fight anything on your own, idiot!" He put her down in a tree and kissed her fiercely before flying off again, not even bothering to tell her to stay there. She would do what she pleased and all he could do was make sure she stayed safe.  
The best way to do that was to get rid of this cock-roach before it could do any more damage. He landed behind it.  
"Hey, you dumb shit! Over here!" He released his Wind Scar just as the scorpion turned. The blazes tore it apart. Inuyasha took a deep breath. Kagome was still safe.  
"Speak of the devil…" His wife came running straight into his arms. "Would you listen next time I tell you something? You could have been killed!"  
"And you should have heard that I wasn't going to let you fight on your own!"  
"Your little bow and arrow had no effect on this thing! You could have saved the effort and ran the other way!"  
"I didn't know that! And besides, I don't run away!"  
"You id-" Kagome stopped him by grabbing his kimono and kissing him. He answered by kissing her back and pulling her close. "I'm so glad you're safe."  
"Me too." She whispered, just as Sango and Miroku came running.  
"Inuyasha, you could have left some of the fun for us." Miroku complained, cleaning up the pieces of the scorpion corpse with his Wind Tunnel. Contrary to what they had originally thought, the Wind Tunnel did not disappear with the death of Naraku. The good news was that it wasn't getting any bigger, or rather was shrinking with time. It came in handy at times. Miroku had no more worries about being swallowed by the hole in his hand. Nor would he have to worry about his children being faced with the same terror.  
Kagome invited their friends for dinner. They would share what Kouga and Ayame had brought for them. "Has anyone seen Shippo?" Kagome asked. "He was supposed to be on the look out."  
Inuyasha growled. "Probably hiding under a rock, too scared of facing me."  
"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, rubbing his burning cheek.  
"He made InuOtome cry. I'm gonna kill him."  
"No you're not." Kagome said firmly. "We have no idea what caused InuOtome to be so upset. Shippo might have had nothing to do with it."  
"Then how to you explain his absence these last few days?"  
"I don't know. But when we see him, we'll ask him. Not automatically pound him for something he had nothing to do with. Got that?"  
"Whatever," Inuyasha pouted. "So what's for dinner?"  
As Friday approached, InuOtome became more and more nervous. It really wasn't fair to Hojo to be going out with him when she was still in love with Shippo. And it wasn't fair that she couldn't explain why she couldn't go out with him, so she was left going out with him.  
He met her by the bike racks after school and they rode together to the mall. Hojo chatted easily with her, where as she was as nervous as hell. They walked around, not really heading anywhere, and he bought them shakes from one of the kiosks.  
"What movie were you hoping to see tonight? Do you like drama, or action? Maybe a good anime? Oh did you see the previews for the new movie… what was it called?"  
"I – I really don't know…" She started uneasily. They don't have TV in the Feudal-Era. How was she to explain that? "I don't get to watch a lot of TV." She hastily explained.  
"Why not?" Hojo inquired.  
"I – I'm usually too busy taking care of the twins."  
"Oh, I see." Hojo helped her sit on top of a wall then hopped up beside her so they could enjoy their shakes. "It must be hard with your parents gone."  
"Oh, yes, it is. Really hard. But we get through." Ever since Kagome disappeared from the current time, people had speculated where she had gone. Most had assumed that she and her husband -who no one knew- had died prematurely, probably in a car crash, leaving their children in the care of Kagome's mother. InuOtome fed this image.  
"Good thing you still have your grandmother." She nodded, grateful for the change of topic. Hojo just assumed that her parents' death was still too hard for her and tried to steer clear of anything that would make their date unpleasant. "I saw her in the shop a while ago. Actually it was when I told my parents about our date. I really am excited that you finally said yes."  
"Me too," she quipped, uncomfortable about lying. While this was the perfect time to let him down, to tell him about her relationship with Shippo, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Hojo was a great guy, he really was, and what was it her Grandmother had said about being a normal teen for once? She was going to enjoy this evening and remember it, even if it was something that would never be again.  
"Excited for Prom?"  
"Oh yeah! Grandma and I went shopping yesterday for a dress. I haven't found one yet but I'm sure I will soon."  
"You'll look spectacular in whatever you wear." They both blushed. "Um, do you… have a date yet?" Inu shook her head. "Uh… well, would you - I mean do you think you could… or would like… um… how do I say this?"  
"Hojo, would you like to go to Prom with me?" She spat it out. They both stared incredulously at each other.  
"Yes! I mean – Wow! I always thought… It's just you never… Oh Wow!" He gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. Inu blushed profusely.  
She liked Shippo's touch. Hojo's was nice too, but… It just wasn't the same. It made her feel guilty, like she was betraying Shippo or something, even while she knew that it was anything like that. They were just… friends. Yeah, friends.  
When Inu's insides settled from their tug-of-war, her conversation came easily. They talked about school, their classmates and of course Prom. It was their big event.  
"You'll have to let me know what you find so that I can get my tux to match."  
"Ok, I will. Oh, hey, what time does the movie start?"  
"Oh, man!" Hojo glanced at his watch. He helped her down from the wall. "We're going to miss the previews. Come on!" He grabbed her hand and they raced down the mall to the theater. As they went to get their tickets – Hojo had decided on a chick-flick, just for her – he continued to hold her hand. It felt strange, Inu thought. Not really unpleasant, just… strange.  
He bought her popcorn and decided that they needed to share a Coke, which he assure her was quite acceptable when a couple were on a date. Inu just shrugged. She had often shared a communal pot with the village people.  
Hojo was relieved to find out that they were late starting the movie so they had a few minutes before it would actually begin.  
"So how did you get the name InuOtome?"  
"After my father," she replied, almost smacking herself for letting it slip. "It's really a family name. I think there were dog-trainers somewhere way back when."  
"Oh, I get it. But your family name is still Higurashi, like your mother."  
"Yes, we're very proud of our priest-line." Not to mention the fact that Inuyasha had no family name. They didn't need one in the Feudal-Era.  
"Ok, that's cool. Our family line goes way back, farther than it has been documented." Inu knew that. In fact, she had actually met Hojo's ancestor in the Feudal-Era. He had been with her parents when they had fought Kaguya, an evil tennyo-looking demon who threatened to stop time. The old Hojo visited every year or so to bring her parents oranges and other medical-related supplies. Apparently, he too had a thing for Kagome. What a pattern!  
The rest of the evening was pleasant, and InuOtome could hardly believe that it was almost over. He walked her up to her family's shrine. The ordinary "I had a great time tonight" scene played out, but for one major exception.  
Hojo leaned into kiss her cheek, when yell came out of the dark.  
"Get away from my girl!" They both swung around, stunned at the voice.  
"Shippo!" Inu exclaimed, surprised that he made it through the well.  
"Huh?" Hojo was in shock. "Who's this?" He barely had the question out before Shippo's fist made contact with his jaw.  
"InuOtome is mine."  
"Shippo, no!" Inu tried desperately to hold him back and only very barely succeeded.  
Hojo came up swinging. "You bastard!" He spat.  
Inu could hardly keep them apart. After a few misguided punches were thrown, she pushed them to arms length and they all breathed deeply.  
"Stop it, you two. I refuse to be fought over like a piece of meat. Hojo, Shippo, go home. Both of you."  
"Who's he?" Shippo questioned defensively. "Your week-long fling? Am I just an appetizer on the weekends?" As soon as it was out of his mouth he regretted it. It was hurtful, and he saw that hurt reflect back at him out of his love's eyes.  
"What do you mean? What's going on, Inu? Who is this guy?"  
Inu cast her eyes down and let her hands drop. "Shippo and I were together for a time. But he had made it quite clear that he didn't want anything to do with me-"  
"That's not true! I love you, InuOtome!" Shippo pleaded.  
She saw it was true and turned to Hojo, watching the pain in his eyes.  
"You'd better go. Thank you for tonight. I will never forget it." She kissed his cheek and turned him away, ready to fight Shippo.  
Her palm smacked across his cheek as she had seen Sango do to Miroku. "What the hell do you mean 'You love me!'?" Shippo barely winced at the pain and didn't rub his reddened cheek.  
"Look, I know I should have told you that night… I just – I knew I should never have gotten close to you. I mean, you're Inuyasha's daughter. But you know like when you look at a single flame? You know you're going to get burned but it's so beautiful you say to hell with it."  
"Shippo, what am I supposed to do now? You flat out reject me after I gave you my everything. You turn your back on me and my family when you didn't come back that night. Or the next day, or the next! You think a few pretty words after you ruin my date will make me run back into your arms?" She started crying and ran into the house, not looking back. She didn't want to see him; didn't want to feel him near her; didn't want to smell that earthy musk that emanated from him. Her heart was breaking with each step she took, but she slammed the dojo door behind her.  
She didn't see as he slipped away into the darkness. How had he gotten here anyway? She threw herself onto her bed that was once Kagome's and cried herself to sleep.  
She only awoke when her Grandmother called her down for breakfast, never mind that it was after noon. Grandma didn't pry; only let her eat her dim-sum in peace.  
"Would you just say something!" Inu screamed. "I'm so sick of your patient calm bundled together with your prying eyes!"  
"InuOtome," She started, taken aback at her sudden outburst.  
"All this time you are just so tolerant and compassionate and always know what the right thing to do is but so the hell what? I'm not like you!" Inu ran up the stairs, grabbed up her things and ran back down again.  
"InuOtome! Stop!" Grandma was most surprised when she didn't head for the well. She ran straight into the heart of Tokyo. _Oh dear,_ she thought_, Kagome was never this hot-tempered._ She worried her hands but decided there was nothing she could do. She could wait for her strong-willed granddaughter to calm down. She knew when the boy Shippo had shown up on her doorstep that there would be trouble and that Inu would be terribly upset. She had never planned on just how upset she would be.  
Inu ran and ran until her lungs were screaming for breath. But she didn't stop. She ran blindly until her legs gave way underneath her. Why was it that she always ran away when she was upset? Was something good just supposed to pop out of nowhere? She hated recalling that moment when he had appeared out of the woods by the Ancient Tree. It only made her cry harder. She sat on the cold pavement, mourning her life.  
_Why couldn't she just be normal,_ her insides screamed at her. She resented being a quarter-demon, she resented being a descendant of a powerful line of priests and she resented being caught up in her love with Shippo.  
She thought seriously about finding a spell or talisman that would protect her heart but shook the thought away almost as soon as it had come. That was something Old Grandfather would do; the senile old man.  
She dried her eyes and glanced around her. And up into the eyes of a gorgeous man… feeling slightly familiar…  
"Kouga?" She asked tentatively.  
"How did you know my surname is Wolfe?" He asked, reaching his hand down to help her up. He really was gorgeous, resembling her almost-Uncle Kouga in an exotic sort of way. He had the same facial features, only with jet-black hair pulled into a pony-tail at the base of his neck and a small slit in his eyebrow. His frame was large and powerful. Covering that body was clothes of the finest taste and designer, costing a very pretty penny. He was older, perhaps nearing his thirties, but his body couldn't deny a certain youthfulness about him.  
She gladly accepted his hand and struggled to her feet, brushing the dirt off her skirt.  
"You remind me of someone I know," she explained.  
"Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine." She answered hastily. He was not satisfied with that answer he preceded to looking her over. Very, very well. She grew nervous under his scrutinizing eyes. "Really, I am. I just tripped."  
"You're not a very good liar." He arched a brow, clearly indicating he was waiting for the truth.  
"And you're not a very good gentleman. Good day." She marched away him.  
"You forgot something." She glanced back to see her necklace dangling from his fingertips. It was the one her mother had given her to commemorate the Shikon Jewel. It had a tiny rose quartz ball in the pendant.  
She gasped and hurriedly snatched it out of his grasp.  
"What is that thing, anyway?" She snarled as she slipped it back over her head. How had it come off anyway? The little sneak-thief…  
"Ever hear of the Shikon Jewel? It's part of my family's legacy."  
"That's the Shikon Jewel?" He scoffed.  
"No, it's a replica. The actual jewel was destroyed years- I mean, centuries ago."  
"I see." She could tell he didn't believe her. And it made her mad. She had started out with the worst day of her life and told him so. By the time she had stopped yelling about men who were so complicated God himself couldn't figure them outand stupid little boys who thought they were men, his ears were splitting.  
"Okay, okay, I got it. Don't help the poor chick that's down on her luck. I get it. Adios." He walked away with a shrug and didn't look back.  
"Wait, you cow brained imbecile! How dare you talk to me that way!" When he didn't stop, she continued, "You sack of maggots! OSWARI!" The incantation came out before she could stop it. The unnamed man went flying into the nearest wall and landed with a thud. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" She ran after him, hoping against everything in her that she hadn't hurt him. His shoulders were shaking and she thought he was crying. He turned up his face.  
He was laughing! That bastard! Before she knew it he pulled her down to straddle his lap and press a firm, almost bruising kiss on her lips. The nerve! Oh but it was sweet. He tasted like he had just eaten a chocolate bar and his lips were soft and warm, so unlike anything she had ever experience with Shippo.  
Oh, Shippo! She jerked her head up, only to find it encased in the man's large, demanding hands. He coaxed her back into submission with his talented lips and tongue. They stayed there on the cold Tokyo pavement for who knows how long? Minutes? An hour? She had no way of knowing.  
"John Wolfe. And you are?"  
"InuOtome Higurashi," she breathed. She could feel him grow ridged underneath her and groaned, starting to get up. He grabbed her arms, incessantly brushing his lips over hers.  
"It won't bite," he assured her. "I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Higurashi. Mmm, you taste so sweet." Where had she heard that before? Oh well… He was intoxicating, making her forget her own name. "Come; let me buy you a coffee." She nodded. Instead of letting her go, he stood up with her still over him, letting her slide slowly down his body. "You're going to be the death of me, Miss Higurashi."  
"Call me Inu." He slung his arm around her shoulder and they walked to a nearby café. Passer-bys would have been mystified at the sudden transformation. One moment they were screaming insults at each other, the next they were all over each other, their physical attraction apparent to both of them. Inu's eyes lock onto his and they rarely left them.  
When he excused himself for a moment and she was finally able to breathe again, she sagged into her chair. What was she doing? Shippo and Hojo… what was she doing? Now this man, this John Wolfe. No one would understand because she herself didn't understand! She sighed.  
She had to leave. She had to get away from him. Now. She grabbed up her things and bolted for the door, running down the street. Once she thought she had heard him call to her but she chalked it up to wishful thinking and kept running. _Running again?_ her conscious was asking her. She shook her head.  
Where was she running now? She surprised herself to find herself under the Ancient Tree near the shrine. It was where her parents met. She touched the tree tentatively, imagining the tableau in her mind: Her father pinned to the tree with and arrow through the shoulder, her mother stepping on roots that had grown around him to touch his ears. Suddenly he awakes, his intense eyes boring into her.  
John Wolfe's eyes were like that… No, no, no! She screamed, shaking the image of the man out of her mind. She wept again for what could never be.  
She made up her mind right then and there. She would return to the Feudal-Era and never come back to the present time. There were just too many things clouding her ambiance here. She had to return to face Shippo sooner or later. She apologized to her grandmother for earlier that day and told her of her decision - but not of the reasons for making it. When she asked about Prom and graduation, InuOtome only shrugged.  
"It doesn't matter. I've tried my hand and 'normal' and I've decided that it just isn't to be." Grandma nodded solemnly and put her arms around her granddaughter.  
"I know. I will still miss you. Promise you'll come see me more that Kagome has."  
"I promise." She tightly squeezed the thin frame, sending love out with her every fiber. "Good bye."  
Grandma waved her off from the front door, watching as Inu started for the well. She sensed that she was saying goodbye to more than just her, but she could only speculate at what that something more might be. _Something terrible has happened_, she thought. She didn't know just how right she was.

John Wolfe was fuming. He had been trying for two years to get that girl alone with him and when he finally succeeded, she disappeared when he went to the john! He stormed about his apartment above his office building, throwing things and swearing up a storm. His secretary let herself in, ducking the flying answering machine and headed straight for him. Usagi Cho was a great asset to John – great ass period. She knew how to handle him.  
Her auburn hair was pulled back severely into a bun, and her clothes were overly professional. What really made her unique was the purple orchid she always wore above her left ear.  
She slid her arms around him from behind, slipping her hands underneath his jacket lapels, feeling the hardness of his chest. She felt his heavy breathing begin to calm.  
"Cho, she did it again. That damned girl!" His shoulders gave a final heave before twisting to pull her around to the front of him. She knew what was coming. He would use her for a substitute for his obsession: "that damned girl" being InuOtome Higurashi. He had first seen her two years ago and ordered a full investigation on her. Because Cho was so talented, he was angry when she could find no background what-so-ever on the girl.  
He had used her this way then too. She loved him, and couldn't deny it. She had remained his secretary now for almost ten years, had loved him since day one. He was so handsome and whenever he turned those intense eyes on her… Oh, she began to melt. Even though it was never her that he saw, she was just happy to be the object at times. He saw whoever his obsession was. This Higurashi girl was quite an obsession.  
"Oh, Inu…" He sucked in breath, letting it out slowly.  
_Just once_, Cho thought, _just once it will be my name on his lips.  
_John started pacing. He had no more use of Cho, so he ignored her. "The board members are expecting you for dinner at 6:00. I hung your tux on your valet and left your tickets in your jacket pocket."  
"Thanks," he answered distractedly. "Go home." She nodded like a good little Japanese woman and bowed herself out.  
_Soon_, she vowed, _soon_…

InuOtome barely survived the onslaught from her parents. But knowing that she was her father's daughter, they settled for an agreement to at least get her diploma. But she insisted on coming home every day after school instead of staying at her grandmother's – mainly to avoid John Wolfe.  
She hated him, she decided, absolutely hated him. He made her lose control of herself and that wasn't acceptable. He was too – intense. A man with eyes like that could only be dangerous, not only physically, but dangerous to her heart as well.  
Then there was Hojo. What would have happened had Shippo not shown up when he did? Hojo was very nice, and he always seemed to have her best interests in mind. But he wasn't someone that Inu could fall in love with. After her little spat with her parents – plus a few hours – she decided to go ahead and go to Prom with him, just as friends.  
It wasn't long after she had gotten back that she sought out Shippo. She had to know what had happened between them. She was mad as hell at him for messing up her first and only date, but… she loved him. She couldn't just turn her back on him, regardless of his faults.  
She found him sitting on the riverbank by where he had first kissed her. He didn't react when he heard her approach. She sat down by him and waited. They sat in silence like that, for who knows how long, not saying a word, not touching, just… nothing.  
"What happened that night, Shippo, beneath the stars?" He shook his head, stating he didn't understand it either. "Was it something I did? Or, maybe said?"  
"No, no, no! It wasn't like that. I just –I couldn't help myself. Stupid hormones. I let go of my control for a split second. I forgot that you're Inuyasha's daughter; forgot all the reasons why I shouldn't have you. And in a single moment, I destroyed everything. I took advantage of you after you were so trusting of me and – I blew it. I'm so sorry, Inu. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I tried to stay away, thinking that was best but -"  
"How did you get through the well?" She demanded suddenly.  
He shrugged, "Hell if I know. I just jumped down it and… poof! I was in your world."  
"How can that be? You couldn't get through when you were little." He shook his head as if it didn't make sense to him either.  
"I think it has something to do with you priestesses and their… - lovers."  
"You're my lover?"  
"No! I didn't say-"  
"Admit it! You said so! Say you're my lover."  
"No, I-" She stilled his protests by placing her lips over his. He jerked back. "What – I – um…" He grinned tentatively. She smiled back and jumped into his arms.  
"You mean it? What you said that night?" He nodded.  
"I love you, Inu. I always have. One moment you were like my little sister, and before I knew it, you were standing there, a beautiful woman. When I saw that jerk – ok… 'guy'," he amended for her sake, "try to put his lips on you, I went ballistic. I didn't want to lose you and then I realized that I already had."  
"No," Inu shushed him with her fingertips. "I'm still here." Everything was forgiven in that moment. It was almost as if nothing bad had happened. She was sure that, when they were to look back on this day, they would laugh at how stupid they had been.  
Inu stroked his hair, and then… continued to touch him.She made him lay down on his belly, convinced she was going to give him a back massage.  
She gasped at the jagged scar that slashed diagonally across his torso. "Oh that, I forgot about it."  
"How could you forget about something like that? You could have been killed from a wound like this." She knew exactly how it happened too. She had treated many villagers with similar injuries. She lightly touched the puckered skin.  
"It was a long time ago," a comment that produced the required, "What happened?" remark. "It doesn't hurt anymore. You don't have to be gentle." He smiled as she started getting bolder in her strokes. "I was fighting with your parents a while after you were born; four or five years I think. I don't quite remember when. There was a dragon attacking a nearby village. I, being the typical teenage male that I was, insisted on hopping right on into the mess. Its tail caught me across the back and I blacked out. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the cottage, with you right beside me." He rolled over slightly to see her face. "Kagome shooed you away, saying children didn't belong in the 'operating room'."  
"I remember," She said lightly, "That's what happened… God, I remember there being so much blood, and I refused to believe that you were hurt. My Shippo was never hurt. And Mom and Dad let me think that. You wereup and aboutin no time, and wouldn't play with me, but I thought you were mad at me for something."  
"Never." He reached up to touch her face, unable to keep himself from it any longer. He drew her down to him for a kiss. It was so sweet.  
She snuggled into him. He wrapped his arms around her as he lay on his side next to her. He kissed the top of her head, and she lifted her face to his kisses.  
"I love you, Shippo. I have for as long as I can remember." He squeezed her tight. "Where did you go? That night? How come you didn't come back to the cottage?"  
His heart dropped out of his chest. _Not now_… He just got her back, he didn't want to lose her again, this time forever.  
"Shippo?" He squeezed his eyes tight and stood up, clenching his fists. He couldn't lie worth a damn.  
"I went to Thunder Valley."  
"To see the Thunder Daughter." She said, putting two and two together.  
"I'm sorry, Inu."  
"Did you… with her…?" He nodded. She sat there quietly. She didn't ask for any explanations, and he didn't offer any. He heard her move away, taking his heart with her, grounding it into the dirt with every step she took.  
He jumped about ten feet in the air when he felt her hands on his tail. "What the hell?" Inu laughed, wrapping her arms around him.  
"It's ok, Shippo." She looked up into his eyes. "I understand. Sometimes, there are… comforts… from sharing bodies with one another. I know I'm not the only one. And I don't care. You're mine now, and I'm going to keep you with me."  
Shippo let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. Then sucked it in sharply when her hands found their way to his tail again.  
"Would you knock it off?" She laughed again, pleased to see the sparkle back in his eyes. She chased him around like they had done when they were little, only whenever she caught him, he rewarded her with a kiss so sweet it knocked her socks off… had she been wearing any.  
It was well after dark when they came strolling back to the cottage, arm in arm. They had washed in the river and had taken time to let their hair dry, knowing that Inuyasha would be able to smell them. Not that they would have cared… but… Ew!  
Kagome and Inuyasha looked on with knowing eyes, but not saying a word; even after dinner, when Inu laid down beside Shippo on the floor – even though Inuyasha wanted to, but Inu suspected that her mother had something to do with that… Like the sudden thump of a body hitting the floor from a whispered, "sit."  
She watched the fire's flickering reflection in his eyes, grinning proudly. She reached up and undid his hair. She just couldn't get used to seeing it down. It sent shivers up her spine. One thing she had missed when she was in the future era was guys in long hair. It was so… wonderful and natural, and none of them knew it.  
"Guess what," Inu asked. "I ran into a descendent of Kouga and Ayame's the other day. His last name was actually Wolfe."  
"Really now?" Shippo was skeptical.  
"He tried to seduce me. I guess that line just has a thing for my family." Even as she said it, he started laughing. He knew Kouga even better than Inu did and that sounded just like one of his breed would do. He vaguely recalled some drawings he had made when he was little about them…  
Shippo pulled her close, whispered, "I love you, InuOtome," into her ear and they fell asleep that way, completely content.  
"They're so cute!" Kagome squealed, spying on them from the doorway of her bedroom.  
"Humph!" Inuyasha sat on the bed, drumming his fingers on the sheets. He wanted to get up and pound the hell out of Shippo forstealing his little girl. Kagome assured him that there was no way their daughter _could_ bestolen with all the training he had put her through, and she assured him that Inu was a grown woman who had made her choice, a choice Kagome secretly applauded. Shippo had grown into a strong man, nothing at all like the child he had been when she met him.  
Kagome watched them sleep, wrapped up in each other and smiled.  
"Come here," Inuyasha demanded. She didn't even think to disobey but hopped on over to him. She curled up beside him, still refusing to release the "Sit" command from him. He hated it when she did it -but did it she did. "Kagome!" He whined. She giggled and pulled him close. "Everything is just… perfect," She whispered, "just perfect…"

THE END!


End file.
